Grade 5
Paired Passages
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
This passage is narrated by a horse named Black Beauty.
1
When I was four years old Squire Gordon came to look at me. He examined
my eyes, my mouth, and my legs; he felt them all down; and then I had to walk and
trot and gallop before him. He seemed to like me, and said, “When he has been well
broken in he will do very well.” My master said he would break me in himself, as he
should not like me to be frightened or hurt, and he lost no time about it, for the next
day he began.
2
Every one may not know what breaking in is, therefore I will describe it. It
means to teach a horse to wear a saddle and bridle, and to carry on his back a man,
woman or child; to go just the way they wish, and to go quietly. Besides this he has
to learn to wear a collar, a crupper, and a breeching, and to stand still while they
are put on; then to have a cart or a chaise fixed behind, so that he cannot walk or
trot without dragging it after him; and he must go fast or slow, just as his driver
wishes. He must never start at what he sees, nor speak to other horses, nor bite, nor
kick, nor have any will of his own; but always do his master’s will, even though he
may be very tired or hungry; but the worst of all is, when his harness is once on, he
may neither jump for joy nor lie down for weariness. So you see this breaking in is a
great thing.
3
I had of course long been used to a halter and a headstall, and to be led about
in the fields and lanes quietly, but now I was to have a bit and bridle; my master
gave me some oats as usual, and after a good deal of coaxing he got the bit into my
mouth, and the bridle fixed, but it was a nasty thing! Those who have never had a bit
in their mouths cannot think how bad it feels; a great piece of cold hard steel as
thick as a man’s finger to be pushed into one’s mouth, between one’s teeth, and over
one’s tongue, with the ends coming out at the corner of your mouth, and held fast
there by straps over your head, under your throat, round your nose, and under your
chin; so that no way in the world can you get rid of the nasty hard thing; it is very
bad! yes, very bad! at least I thought so; but I knew my mother always wore one
when she went out, and all horses did when they were grown up; and so, what with
the nice oats, and what with my master’s pats, kind words, and gentle ways, I got to
wear my bit and bridle.
4
Next came the saddle, but that was not half so bad; my master put it on my
back very gently, while old Daniel held my head; he then made the girths fast under
my body, patting and talking to me all the time; then I had a few oats, then a little
leading about; and this he did every day till I began to look for the oats and the
saddle. At length, one morning, my master got on my back and rode me round the
meadow on the soft grass. It certainly did feel queer; but I must say I felt rather
proud to carry my master, and as he continued to ride me a little every day I soon
became accustomed to it.
Words that could be defined for students are in bold.
Grade 5 ELA
15
www.gutenberg.org
Common Core Sample Questions
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This passage takes place in a garden. Colin is a young boy who was sickly and
wheelchair bound, but is beginning to recover and be able to walk. Mary is his cousin,
and Dickon is a friend to both of them.
1
At first the robin watched Mary and Colin with sharp anxiety. For some
mysterious reason he knew he need not watch Dickon. The first moment he set his
dew-bright black eye on Dickon he knew he was not a stranger but a sort of robin
without beak or feathers. He could speak robin (which is a quite distinct language
not to be mistaken for any other). To speak robin to a robin is like speaking French
to a Frenchman. Dickon always spoke it to the robin himself, so the queer gibberish
he used when he spoke to humans did not matter in the least. The robin thought he
spoke this gibberish to them because they were not intelligent enough to
understand feathered speech. His movements also were robin. They never startled
one by being sudden enough to seem dangerous or threatening. Any robin could
understand Dickon, so his presence was not even disturbing.
2
But at the outset it seemed necessary to be on guard against the other two. In
the first place the boy creature did not come into the garden on his legs. He was
pushed in on a thing with wheels and the skins of wild animals were thrown over
him. That in itself was doubtful. Then when he began to stand up and move about he
did it in a queer unaccustomed way and the others seemed to have to help him. The
robin used to secrete himself in a bush and watch this anxiously, his head tilted first
on one side and then on the other. He thought that the slow movements might mean
that he was preparing to pounce, as cats do. When cats are preparing to pounce they
creep over the ground very slowly. The robin talked this over with his mate a great
deal for a few days but after that he decided not to speak of the subject because her
terror was so great that he was afraid it might be injurious to the Eggs.
3
When the boy began to walk by himself and even to move more quickly it
was an immense relief. But for a long time—or it seemed a long time to the robin—
he was a source of some anxiety. He did not act as the other humans did. He seemed
very fond of walking but he had a way of sitting or lying down for a while and then
getting up in a disconcerting manner to begin again.
4
One day the robin remembered that when he himself had been made to learn
to fly by his parents he had done much the same sort of thing. He had taken short
flights of a few yards and then had been obliged to rest. So it occurred to him that
this boy was learning to fly—or rather to walk. He mentioned this to his mate and
when he told her that the Eggs would probably conduct themselves in the same way
after they were fledged she was quite comforted and even became eagerly
interested and derived great pleasure from watching the boy over the edge of her
nest—though she always thought that the Eggs would be much cleverer and learn
more quickly. But then she said indulgently that humans were always more clumsy
and slower than Eggs and most of them never seemed really to learn to fly at all. You
never met them in the air or on tree-tops.
Words that could be defined for students are in bold.
Grade 5 ELA
16
www.gutenberg.org
Common Core Sample Questions
Short Answer Constructed Response for “Black Beauty”
9
In the passage, how does the master treat Black Beauty? Use two details from
the text to support your answer.
Write your answer in complete sentences.
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CCLS Alignment: RL.5.1; additional standards may be added after further
development.
Commentary: This question aligns to CCLS RL.5.1 because it asks students to use
evidence from the passage to support what is said explicitly and what is implied
about how the master (Squire Gordon) treats Black Beauty.
Rationale: The response accurately explains that the master (Squire Gordon) is
caring but firm with Black Beauty. He wants to break Black Beauty himself so that he
will not be frightened or hurt. He treats Black Beauty with pats, kind words, and
gentle ways.
Grade 5 ELA
17
Common Core Sample Questions
10
Describe the challenge that Black Beauty faces in the story and how he
responds. Use two details from the text to support your answer.
Write your answer in complete sentences.
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CCLS Alignment: RL.5.2
Commentary: This question aligns to CCLS RL.5.2 because it asks students to
describe a challenge that Black Beauty faces and how he responds.
Rationale: The response accurately identifies the challenge: being broken in. Black
Beauty is not thrilled at first but accepts the bit because he wants to be grown up
and please his master.
Grade 5 ELA
18
Common Core Sample Questions
Short Answer Constructed Response for “The Secret Garden”
11
How do the robin’s feelings toward Colin change from the beginning of the
story to the end? Use two details from the text to support your answer.
Write your response in complete sentences.
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Aligned CCLS: RL.5.3
Commentary: This question aligns to CCLS RL.5.3 because it asks students to
compare the feelings of a character from the beginning of the passage to the end,
and describe the change.
Rationale: The response accurately explains the changes in the robin’s feelings
toward Colin. He first is anxious because he thought Colin could be dangerous like a
cat. He is then relieved when Colin leaves his chair. By the end of the story he
identifies with Colin as he observes him learning to walk.
Grade 5 ELA
19
Common Core Sample Questions
Extended Constructed Response Paired Passages
12
Both stories are told from the perspective of an animal. How does this
perspective affect how the stories are told? Compare and contrast how Black
Beauty and the robin view their surroundings. Using details from both
passages, describe how the animals’ perspectives influence how events are
described.
In your response, be sure to:
F describe the perspective of Black Beauty from “Black Beauty”
F describe the perspective of the robin from “The Secret Garden”
F explain how each author uses these perspectives to help the reader
understand the events as they unfold
F use details from both stories
Write your response in complete sentences.
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Aligned CCLS: RL.5.6, W.5.2
Commentary: This question aligns to CCLS RL.5.6 because it asks students how the
animals’ perspective influences how the story is told. It also aligns to CCLS W.5.2
because it asks students to write an explanatory piece.
Rationale: The response accurately describes the animals’ perspectives in both
stories. It explains how telling stories from an animal’s perspective allows the
reader to see human behavior from a new angle. The response explains how Black
Beauty’s perspective of “breaking in” and “bits” differs from that of humans because
the horse can explain how it feels to him. The response explains how the robin
understands Colin’s use of a wheelchair and how he compares his learning to walk
with learning to fly.
Grade 5 ELA
20
Common Core Sample Questions